June 1st is the first day of winter, and so to help fill in those long, cold days we’re going to be putting up one item for sale for every day of June.

Each item will be for sale for 24 hours only, running from the time of posting till noon the following day, with a new item added each day just before noon.

So check us out and see what each day brings.

.

military models nz sale, model sale

One of the big drawbacks in a number of kits is the vinyl tyres that come with so many of them. Usually these are difficult to work with, being nigh on impossible to sand or shape in any fashion and sometimes being difficult to paint without the paint flaking off. All this has led to quite a lot of aftermarket resin tyres being made available. These usually provide a more stable and easier to work with base at the trade off of sometimes being as costly as the original kit itself.

This set of wheels from Armorscale are intended to replace the vinyl kit wheels supplied with the Tamiya Sd.Ah.116 Tank Transporter Trailer which comes together with the Sd.Kfz. 9 “FAMO”. You get a total of nine wheels with tyres, eight intended for use on the axles plus one to represent the spare. These come loose in a zip-lock bag with the pour-stubs already removed, leaving just a small contact point, where the stub was removed, to clean up. In this particular set one arrived with the centre hub broken away, though it looks to be an easy repair.

These are a direct replacement for the kit wheels and tyres with no modification required, in fact they are an exact match for the kit wheels and tyres with the exception that these are resin. Finish is excellent as is the level of detail which includes the “Continental” brandname which is also included on the kit supplied vinyl tyres. The tread detail is very sharp, and exactly replicates the kit’s own vinyl tyres.

I have to admit that I do prefer the level of detail on the wheels provided by the four piece plastic wheels in the kit over that of the resin wheels which require a little clean up around the two lightening holes in each.

I’m in a bit of two minds on these wheels. Yes they are very, very good wheels. They’re also rather expensive and the existing wheels and tyres are very good to start with, so all you are really gaining is solid wheels in place of the vinyl ones which will make them easier to paint and will avoid the problem of whether or not they will perish in the long term. If price isn’t an obstacle though, then they do look very nice.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge images.

Armorscale Resin Wheels for Tank Trailer Sd.Ah.116, german tank transporter trailer, sonder anhanger 116

Masterbox British 8th Army WIP

Is it just me or have the major manufacturers gone off making figure sets ? In the past year, if you include aircraft and ships, Dragon have released several dozen different kits, and some of them quite major endeavours. Yet in that same time we’ve had maybe half a dozen figure sets, mostly German themed of course. Tamiya still releases a new kit everytime Haley’s Comet passes by but if memory serves me correctly in the past year they’ve only released the Russian Anti-Tank and MG Crew set to serve the figure market. In fact their last few sets have been Russian and French, nothing German, nothing U.S. Trumpeter, who have never been big on figures have done a few German Artillery crews but Trumpeter aren’t the world’s best figure sculptors.

Feel free to sing out if you think I’ve missed something, but it does seem almost like the big players are leaving figures to the little guys. MiniArt and Masterbox, even Zvezda have each released as many, if not more than even Dragon who has till now been the most prolific of the figure manufacturers. In fact Masterbox and Miniart in particular appear to be ramping it up and bringing out more and more.

Dragon has apparently ditched the Gen 2 series of figures due to poor sales. I find that odd, not odd from a point of view of Dragon doing that, but odd from the point of view that the market didn’t warrant their continued existance. Do figures really not command the same level of quality expectation that armour kits do ? The Gen 2 kits drew complaints of too many parts and too much complexity for a figure. I don’t get that personally. But then I’ve been known to rebuild the webbing on my figures to get the look right so maybe I’m the minority.

Masterbox DAK Mortar Team WIP

Or maybe the advance in kit prices hadn’t been around long enough to be accepted enough to carry over to figures. People still remember paying $30 for a kit so don’t want to pay $30 for four figures. In another year or two when people are used to paying $60-$80 for a kit $30 for the figures won’t seem so bad. That’s my theory anyway.

It’s not like there aren’t still huge holes in the market with many a niche to fill. Try and name three readily available sets of figures that can be used to represent seated troops in the rear of a Deuce and a Half, or the back of an Sd.Kfz. 251. Then try to name three sets suitable for portraying Chindits or ANZAC troops in New Guinea or Burma. Actually name one. Where are the wealth of kits portraying Afrikakorps, Desert Rats, LRDG, SAS, Italians, Morocans, the way there are a wealth of kits portraying germans dressed for winter ? Actually where are all the russians dressed for winter ?

I guess at least as long as Miniart, Masterbox, Zvezda and the like are out there, filling these holes as fast as they can, there’s hope that we’ll see some of these niches filled. And let’s just hope Dragon has a dozen worthwhile kits hiding in the wings. Though to be honest if I had to put money on it they’ll all be wearing greatcoats and mittens.

I’d like to be able to make a stunning prediction for June, but I won’t. I’ll just quietly hope for a decent 1/35 scale plastic Vickers MG and crew. In the meantime the images here at least offer promise, being works in progress from Masterbox that target that Western Desert niche.

Masterbox Italian Troops WIP

masterbox afrikakorps, masterbox british 8th army, masterbox dak, masterbox desert rats, masterbox italian troops, new 1/35 scale figures

Our first contributing modeller is Whangaparoa’s Rod Allison with his build of the 1/35 Hobbymodellbau F. Schmidt vacuformed Steyr ADGZ, a rather interesting Austrian pushme-pullyou style armoured car taken into German service following the Austrian Anschluss. The figures are a mix of Tamiya and Italeri with a few Hornet heads added.

Click on the photos for a larger image

.

If you would like to have your work feature here then feel free to drop us a line as we would love to be able to provide an online facility for all modellers to be able to share their work with the rest of the modelling community.

ADGZ armoured car, Modelhoby Schmitt ADGZ, prewar german armoured car

Usually figure kits of tank crews tend to portray scenes of the crews simply sitting, or standing around with no real sense of purpose. So sets like this which give you an alternative way to portray a tank with a crew other than just parked up are very much welcomed.

The five figures contained in this kit come on two dark yellow sprues contained within the usual Masterbox open ended box, with the usual very attractive artwork. The detail is very good with very nice folds in the clothes, individual faces and detail like the Iron Cross and ribbons as well as Panzer Assault Badges very nicely moulded in place. While the detail is good there are a few small areas that could use sharpening up and there is a small amount of cleanup required, with some mould seams to remove.

The five figures depict a crew abandoning their tank under fire, and I do think it a good feature that all five crew are included. Two of the crew are portrayed as injured and being helped away, one being carried in the fireman’s lift position. The two wounded men are just wearing shirts and trousers while the other three wear the full Panzer uniform with the panzer wrap and even ties.

One carries a P38 Walther in his hand while the officer shapes to throw a Type 24 “stick” grenade which could be interpreted as either about to be thrown at enemy troops or into his recently abandoned vehicle to damage it rather than have it captured. Both of these have pistol holsters on their belts, the officer’s being for a P08 Luger.  The figure with the Walther P38 in his hand would look better if the holster was moulded to appear to have the flap open. No other weapons or personal equipment is included.

Assembly and painting instructions are provided on the reverse of the box giving the paint numbers for Vallejo, Tamiya, Lifecolour, Humbrol and Agama paints.

A very nicely annimated set of figures that provides a real sense of the urgency in bailing out from a tank under fire. Although entitled as being Kursk 1943 this set could be used in pretty much any setting, so look past that part of the title as these are a very good set of figures that build up nicely straight from the box and can look even better with a little bit of extra detailing. The officer throwing a grenade is an especially nice touch as it allows you the option of displaying a tank that doesn’t have to look damaged but is about to be blown up by its retreating crew rather than leave it to fall into enemy hands.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge images.

1/35 german tank crew, Masterbox German Tank Crew review, Out Of The Frying Pan Into The Fire

Dragon made a lot of figure sets, though few actually really stood out as being anything outside the norm, mainly just being generic groupings of four figures, and while that may seem a little uninspired it does mean that their figure sets can usually be used in a wide variety of settings.

This set from Dragon comes on one large, light grey sprue that holds the four figures, together with a small light grey sprue that holds the weapons. It is an older set so the mouldings are a little thick in some areas, in particular the creases and folds in the clothing are a little understated, but that’s probably more of a personal preference and those who read thse reviews have probably picked up on the fact that I like figures to capture the smaller folds and falls of clothing. The only other area of the figures which could use a little attention is the tunic skirts which lack any undercut detail, being solid instead, so a scalple, drill, or dremel will be needed there if you like to have that sort of detail. On the positives side the faces look very good with nicely defined features and individual expressions and the detail is sharp and clear.

The four figures depict a group of battle weary soldiers on the move though the poses don’t convey the sense of weariness as well as the artwork does, with the shoulders not being low enough or the backs stooped enough, but they do make a good set of walking figures. They’re wearing an odd mix of uniforms which I assume is meant to convey a sense of mixed stragglers as one wears the reversible winter smock with low boots and gaiters, a second wears a late war field uniform with low boots and gaiters, the officer wears an early war uniform complete with breeches and high boots, while the fourth a panzer wrap ( or SPG crew uniform depending on what colour you paint it ).

The two infantrymen are bareheaded and carry their helmets, one with a cover, one without, and each gets a gas mask container, canteen, mess tin, folding shovel in its carrier and two Kar 98K rifle ammo pouches. The officer gets just a single MP40 triple mag pouch with the smaller cleaning kit pouch, a holstered P08 Luger and a binoculars case, while the panzer/spg crewman gets even less with just a holstered P08 Luger.

The weapons sprue provides you with two MP40 sub-machine guns for use with the officer and panzer/spg crewman, a Kar 98K rifle for use with one of the infantrymen, and a G41(W) semi-automatic rifle and a Panzerfaust 60 for use with the other. There is also a Type 24 “stick” grenade and a Type 39 “egg” grenade included. What might be seen as oversight here is that while one infantryman gets a G41 he has Kar 98K ammo pouches. This is correct because, unlike the later G43 that evolved from the G41(W) which used detachable box mags, the G41(W) used a fixed mag into which the rounds were loaded through the open bolt similar to reloading a SMLE without removing the mag.

I’ve never been a huge fan of generic figure sets, usually just seeing them as an assortment of parts for my parts box, but there are a couple of figures in this set which do take my fancy as straight OOB built figures. The moulding on these is good with just some small detailing needed to get the most out of them so they are actually quite a good little set to have around.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge images.

1/35 german infantry normandy, Battle Of The Hedgerows review, Dragon German Infantry

If you’ve ever watched those programmes where they blow up buildings you have to admit it’s rather fun to watch them blow out then fall down. But then you’d also have to admit that parking one of these wee beasties in front and using its dustbin thrower of a mortar to do the job would be even more fun to watch. The Sturmtiger was based on the Tiger I chassis and used a modified depth charge launcher to fire a rather large 38cm high explosive rocket into buildings and fortifications. A job it apparently did quite well.

This kit from AFV Club is based on their Tiger I Ausf. E kit chassis and comes in a large tray and lid type box containing ten sprues, as well as the upper and lower body halves all moulded in a dark green plastic. It also includes a PE fret for the engine grilles, another brass photo-etched fret for adding rifling detail to the inside of the gun barrel, two small springs, a sprue containing vinyl polycaps, a length of cord for making a cable, and two single piece vinyl tracks. All this for about the same price as the equivalent Tamiya kit, and personally I rate this one as the better of the two.

The mouldings are clean and the detail is sharp, knockout marks are all on areas that won’t be seen and there are no prominent mould seams, just the usual very fine ones that seem to be inevitable on standard injection moulded plastic. In a lot of cases you have to look hard to find them. There are some small, delicate parts so good quality side cutters or a sharp blade is in order but other than that assembly is easy and the instructions are very good, being clear, thorough and easy to follow.

The suspension is made so as to be fixed in place but it can be articulated without too much difficulty. You’ll need to change the way the wheels are mounted if you’re usual method is to paint the wheels separately and mount them last as AFV Club would have you mount each pair in turn and swing them up to interlock with the previous pair then push the torsion bar into place but this requires the wheels to be mounted before upper and lower halves are joined. AFV Club uses rubber rings rather than polycaps to keep the wheels in place and once these are on they are very hard to get off so don’t use them till the wheel is going on to stay on.

The tracks are one piece “rubber band” style vinyl tracks that have good surface detail but lack the proper detail on the guide teeth etc, so the purist may wish to replace them with better AM tracks. One unusual feature on this kit is that the idler wheel axle is pivotable and has a spring mounted inside so that the idler wheel always keeps tension on the vinyl tracks but although the torsion bars are a nice tight fit anyway they may succumb to the weight of metal tracks so if you plan on using Friuls you may want to just glue the idler axle in place.

The upper body is made up of separate panels with a bracing beam to which the upper superstructure is mounted. The engine deck is very well detailed, being made up of a lot of parts, some of them quite small, with all the grills and hatches separate, and with photo-etched mesh provided for under all the grills. No engine is provided though AFV Club do make an interior for the front end that is left open to the rear so there is hope that they intend to follow this up and complete the look with the back half of the interior, but until they do, assuming they do, you’ll have to find your own.

The superstructure includes some very nice weld beads as well as a nicely done texture to the outer surfaces. The frontal armour which was beefed up on the Sturmtiger is done by using three separate pieces to build up the armour and give it the correct look. The roof is a separate piece and includes a separate hatch through which the large rockets were loaded. The superstructure also includes a nicely detailed cupola, and rear escape hatch. The crane used to load the ammo in through the roof is also provided and is very nicely done incorporating photo-etched parts and a length of included thin cord for the cable.

An MG 34 machine gun is provide for mounting to the right of the mortar in a ball mount though this can be a little confusing as both an early and late style ball are provided, and while the instructions correctly identify part SB21 to be used, the illustration looks more like the alternate ball, part SB20 which is the earlier style.

The gun, or Mortar to be more precise, is more a short length of barrel encased in a large ball and includes some very nice looking breech detail with both the barrel and breech being able to be left movable if desired. Because of the size of this tube it’s very easy to see into it so AFV Club have thoughtfully provided a photo-etched sheet to be rolled and inserted into this to provide the rifling. Big thumbs up to AFV Club on that point.

Oddly no decals are included in this kit, nor any kind of marking guide. You do get two different paint scheme guides provided at the rear of the instruction book but I do find it a little odd that no decals at all are included.

AFV Club kits aren’t as widely recognised in New Zealand as the likes of Tamiya, or even Italeri and Dragon, but if you’ve never built one you’re missing out. This is a really nice kit and easily the best of the Sturmtiger kits currently available. the levelof detail is excellnt, the finish is equally good and the finished model is an impressive looking one to boot.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge images.

38cm RW61 auf Sturmmorser Tiger, AFV Club Sturmtiger review, sturmtiger

The Panzerwreck books have become quite well known as a great photo reference source. The photos within are mostly of destroyed German armour but occassionally include captured allied vehicles in german use as well as german vehicles that have been captured. Whilse these photos are primariy of destroyed and damaged vehicles they are still a great source of reference for camo schemes, layouts, and of course what a tank looks like when it comes apart. Most of these photos were taken by amateur photographers at the time but the quality is stillvery good on the whole, with some very large, very good images.

This particular issue, Number 1, concentrates on German Armour in 1944 and 1945,  with 96 pages of black and white photos. The main partof the book is a genralised section of wrecks whilst there are also sections which each concentrate on one particular subject. These are :

• Modified Panthers of I./Pz.Rgt.26
• Jagdtiger 323 of 3./s.Pz.Jg.Abt.653
• Panzer IV/70(A)

The photos altogether include the following :

• Panther ( seventeen pages )
• Elefant ( one page )
• 15cm SIG 33/1 auf Selbstfahrlafette 38(t) Ausf. M ( two pages )
• BergePanther Ausf. G ( one page )
• Panther II ( one page )
• Panzer IV/70(V) ( one page )
• Pz.Kpfw IV Ausf. J ( four pages )
• Panzerdraisine ( one page )
• Pz.Kpfw IV Ausf. G ( one page )
• Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. F ( one page )
• Pz.Kpfw. III Beobachtungswagen ( one page )
• Sturmgeschutz III Ausf. G ( four pages )
• Tiger II ( two pages )
• Jagdtiger ( five pages )
• Tiger I ( one page )
• Lg.s.FH.13(Sfl) auf Lorraine Schlepper ( one page )
• Nashorn ( one page )
• 4.7cm Pak(t)(Sfl) auf Fgst.Pz.Kpfw.35 R 731(f) ( two pages )
• Panzerjager 38 fur 7.5cm Pak 40/3 (Sf) ( four pages )
• Captured Sherman VC ( two pages )
• Pz.Kpfw. II ( four pages )
• Captured M3 ( one page )
• Captured M8 ( one page )
• Pz.Kpfw.17/18 R 730(f) ( one page )
• Panzerkampfwagen 38 fur 2cm FlaK 38 ( Sd.Kfz. 140 ) ( two pages )
• Flakpanzer Ostwind ( one page )
• Flakpanzer IV Mobelwagen ( one and a half pages )
• Sturmpanzer 43 ( one and a half pages )
• Sd.Kfz 250/7 ( one page )
• Sd.Kfz 250 ( two pages )
• Sd.Kfz 251 ( two pages )
• Sd.Kfz 251/17 ( one page )
• Sd.Kfz 251/7 ( one page )
• 2cm FlaK38 auf Sf.Zkgw.3t ( one page )
• Sd.Kfz. 7 ( one page )
• Breda 61 with 15cm sFH 404(i) ( one page )
• Sd.Kfz. 8 ( two pages )
• RSO ( two pages )
• Sd.Kfz. 223 ( two pages )
• Sturmgeschutz M43 mit 105/25 853(i) ( one page )
• Jagdpanther ( two pages )
• Panzer IV/70(A) ( eight pages )
• Hummel ( two pages )
• Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H ( one page )
• Sturmgeschutz III Ausf. E ( one page )

These are a great series of books and this particular one should be a great refence point for anyone looking for some good, decent sized, decent qulity images of vehicles on the battlefields of Normandy.

.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge images.

Panzerwrecks No.1

One of Masterboxes more recent releases ( released in 2009 ) and they just keep getting better. This kit takes their original BMW R75 Motorcycle and Sidecar and adds four new figures, this time creating a unique looking scene by providing four mechanics with the intention that rather than being built intact, the motorcycle and sidecar are partly stripped and being worked on.

This comes on two dark yellow sprues, one containing the motorcycle and sidecar, the other containing the four mechanics, a table and their tools. The mould quality is very good with clean, sharp detail and with some very nice sculpting of the folds in the clothes and the details on things like the buckles,  the hands, and the faces which all have very clearly moulded individual expressions.

The figures are all dressed casually, with one wearing shorts and a singlet, and another having suspenders over a singlet. The suspenders are very well done right down to the details on the buckles, and the seated figure also includes a very nice moulded on set of dogtags. Two figures are bareheaded, one wears an overseas cap and the other a field cap, and all wear the high boots. Two also include pipes which I found to be a very nice touch, it’s the little things like this that can make a figure stand out. One has it moulded into his hand, the other comes separately so you have the option to add it or not as you please.

Also included as part of this set is a wooden work table that includes fine woodgrain moulded to both the top and bottom. The legs are intended to be the folding style though you will need to add the detail of the locking elbow in the centre of each diagonal brace which wouldn’t be hard to do. A hand tyre pump and a tool kit rounds out the accessories, as no other personal equipment or weapons is included.

The bike itself is a very good representaion though this particular kit doesn’t inclde the photo-etch wheel parts that come in some of Masterbox’s motorcycle kits which is a pity and hopefully they’ll get around to adding them at some point. The purists will still find themselves with fine wire, CA glue and tweezers adding all the wires and cables that are never on these kits but if you want to go that far at least you have a very good base to build on. The bike has the option of either an MG34 or MG42 machine gun mounted on the side car with a drum magazine to fit if desired.

Decals include red crosses for a medical team or three otpions - 24th Panzer Division ( with alternative markings for Stalingrad as the Germans used to change their markings in the field to confuse the opposition ) :  Ramcke Parachute Brigade Libya and Tunisia 1942-43 : 14th Fallshirmjager Division at Anzio 1944.

A separate sheet of instructions is included for the bike while assembly and painting instructions for the figures are provided on the reverse of the box giving the paint numbers for Vallejo, Tamiya, Lifecolour, Humbrol and Agama paints.

This is a terrific set that can be made standalone or to compliment a larger diorama. It does so well at capturing one of the day to day maintenance chores that soldiers got to do for a lot of their time between the periods of conflict. The detail is excellent and the big bonus is that if you don’t want to depict the bike being worked on you still get a complete motorcycle and sidecar, plus four mechanic figures that can be used on any other vehicle.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge images.

1/35 german motorcycle sidecar, Masterbox German Motorcycle Repair Crew review

As well as just adding the re-released Panzerwerfer 42 Ausf.Maultier to the currently available models Italeri has now added a new kit in the form of an M10 Achilles Tank Destroyer, the british version of the M10 mounting the 17pdr gun. The sprue shots look good, the single piece tracks being the only disappointment but it will be interesting to see how it measures up in the flesh.

1/35 M10 tank destroyer, Italeri M10 Archilles

Tamiya were amongst the first manufacturers to bring us 1/35 scale figures back in the 70s, and some of those moulds, and others of similar age, are still around, which means that these days they are showing their age and don’t really compare well alongside some of the more recent figure kits on offer from other manufacturers. But Tamiya’s newer figure sets have improved greatly on quality compared to those earlier kits. This set is one of those newer ones and the improvement in quality over time is very noticeable, in fact side by side with an older set you can easily see the full thirty years of moulding evolution between them.

This set comes in the typical Tamiya small open ended box, on two sprues moulded in a greenish grey and are the usual Tamiya quality of finish, no flash, minimal mould seams, and clear sharp detail. Averaging 50mm tall these scale out at 175cmtall or 5’9″. This is a big improvement as one of Tamiya’s earlier “shortcomings” with their figures was that they were too short. These are no giants but they’rean  improvement. Some of the clothing folds and creases is a little understated which seems to be a persistant problem with Tamiya’s figures where they get the main folds but miss any of the smaller folds, falls and creases which they manage to capture in the artwork but not in the plastic.

In this set you get five and two third figures including one female figure, the two thirds being one figure who has nothing below the knees. All are dressed in russian tanker uniforms, two in the M1943 Gymnastiorka tunic and trousers, two in tanker’s coveralls, one in a long leather jacket and one in a shorter leather jacket. All wear the high leather boots. Four of them have the russian tanker’s helmet moulded on while the female figure and the last male figure are both bareheaded and come with separate helmets that are moulded flat to be held in the hand or suspended from the waist belt. The face detail is sharp if somewhat uninspired and they also seem a little small and narrow, but the female face does at least look female, even if not as clearly so as the one on the boxart.

One of the helmeted heads seems a little undersized and the hair on the female figure and bareheaded male figure seems a little light, both being straight and swept back, and interupted by a mould seam that runs ear to ear across the top of the head. Though like woodgraining hair detail is often a difficult area to get perfect. The female figure does however come with a separate plaited pony tail which is a nice touch and is well done.

No personal equipment is included other than six holsters for the Tokarev TT33 pistol, three of which are the earlier leather type with the other three being the later synthetic type.

As is the norm with pretty much all figure sets these days the assembly instructions and painting guide are printed in colour on the reverse of the box and in traditional Tamiya fashion the sides of the box include coloured illustrations of some of the equipment and potential rank insignia.

If you’re in the hunt for a set of Russian tank crew figures who have that “sitting around killing time” look then this is a good set despite the few wee niggles over some of the finer detail as it is still streets ahead of the older Tamiya figures. The addition of the female figure to provide a focal point is also a nice touch.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge images.

1/35 russian tank crew, Tamiya Russian Army Tank Crew At Rest review

There are claims that Germany copied the design of the T-34 to come up with the Panther, and true or not it seems you could equally claim that the Russians weren’t shy on adopting a good idea themselves, as it seems the lessons learnt from the encounters with the German Sturmgeschutz resulted in a parallel development in Russian armour starting with the SU-122.

This kit is a rerelease of the original Tamiya SU-122 kit, but where-as with many of their other re-releases Tamiya have added more figures and/or accessories, in this case they have added just a weathering pastels set. It comes in the usual Tamiya tray and lid type box and consists of  four sprues, the hull tub, and the upper hull body all moulded in dark olive green, a stainless steel rod, a nut and bolt, vinyl track lengths, and of course the weathering set. The instructions are clear and easy to follow making assembly very easy.

The mouldings are the typical Tamiya quality which is to say very good with no flash, minimal clean up of mould seams and nice clean, sharp detail. The base tank is one of Tamiya’s older kits, with the hull tub coming complete with the mountings for the motors for a remote control versions so the detail is somewhat simplified resulting in a low parts count compared to more contemporary offerings.

The chassis is the T-34 chassis and is made up mostly of a single moulding consisting of the hull tub with the suspension arms moulded as part of it so there is some degree of simplification and not a lot on the way of the smaller parts that would’ve provided a greater level of detail. The roadwheels are very nicely pruduced, having very good tyre detailing. The tracks are single length vinyl “rubber band” style tracks, and have good surface detail definition, being quite nice tracks for this style of track.

The upper hull is very simple with not a lot to it, mainly just the engine cover with moulded on mesh screen, the exhausts, fuel tanks and tool boxes. There are also a few individual track links to add as additional armour protection. The mating of the upper and lower hull suffers from a common Tamiya problem, open sponsons, not a big problem as it’s only visible looking from underneath, but it’s there none-the-less. Overall the detail on the upper hull looks very good though it would benefit from the addition of weld beads.

The casement is mostly moulded as part of the upper hull with a separate front and roof. The front plate includes a separate driver’s hatch that has good detail but there is no form of interior if you wanted to position this open. The roof also includes a separate commander’s hatch which can be positioned open or closed, as can the vision block hatches, but again there is no interior to be seen if you go with open. The gun is very basic with a two halves barrel and three part bolted sleeve which is the early model style with the large curved shield that fits into the block like mantlet.

The only figure included with this kit is a single commander figure designed to be positioned in the open hatch with his hand on the hatch, though it’s a bit of a fiddly fit to get him to look right.  He’s an older Tamiya figure and it shows in the moulding which is a bit heavy and lacking in detail. The moulds aren’t that sharp and the face is very so-so.

The decals provided are very simple, consisting of just a sheet of generic numbers from 0-9 in white, a matching set in black, and three red stars, one of which is smaller than the other two.

The weathering set appears to have been made specifically for the SU series of kits that Tamiya is re-releasing as I haven’t seen them sold separately. They come in the usual Tamiya make-up style compact containing three compartmentalised coloured weathering pastes – red earth, sand, and soot ( a darkish red, dark yellow and black ). The small applicator tool is also included with the brush on one end and the sponge on the other. These are very good sets and, while I find them a bit harder to apply than MIG pigments these tend to be much more resilient once on and less prone to be removed by handling.

Whilst I believe that the Dragon SU-122 kits are definitely the better kits, offering a much greater level of  detail, this kit is still not to be writen off, especially as it is usually around half the price of the Dragon kits. It is a very easy build that makes up into a very nice kit straight from the box. For the builder who wants more, given the proper TLC it will turn out even better.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge images.

1/35 SU 122, russian tank destroyer, Tamiya SU-122 review

The Waldemar Trojca books are a series of World War Two reference books that include a good selection of large, clear reference photos. The most common are of various types of armour and this particular one one covers the Sd.Kfz 166 Sturmpanzer “Brummbar” or Sturmpanzer 43, an infantry support gun that mounted a modified SIG33 150mm howitzer onto a Pz.Kpfw IV chassis, and looked a bit like a somewhat overweight StuH 42.

This book is broken down into several sections that include a vehicle history, unit organisational charts, wartime photos, museum photos of a preserved vehicle and a series of colour plates and line diagrams.

The three pages of history are quite intensive to read for those of us who don’t like small print and compacted paragraphs, but it covers the important points well. These are followed by a two page line drawing spread showing unit organisation of these vehicles.

The thirty three pages of wartime photos are predominantly large clear photos that show the vehicle well, though some of the photos which have obviously been enlarged from smaller photos are a bit blurry and lack the pixilisation clean-up some similar publications. These do not have descriptions on the actual page but rather are numbered with the descriptions on two index pages before  the photo section begins. I did find this method to be a bit of a pain with the constant flicking back and forth.

The thirteen pages ( including the inside front and inside back cover ) of museum photos of an early model Brummbar in the Russian Kubinka Museum are the most useful, providing a lot of good close detail photos, including a few interior views, though not as many as I would have liked as there are none of the driver’s area and only one not very useful one of the breech.

The photos are followed by eight pages of colour plates and concludes with twenty five pages of 1:35 scale line drawings of different versions and various parts of the vehicle. While I found one or two of these to be useful I do have to question their usefullness overall as they do collectively comprise around 40% of the book once you add in the two index pages for them.

Overall it’s a very useful reference book for the Sd.Kfz. 166 Sturmpanzer, though I do sort of feel that it’s a bit padded out.

.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge images.

book brummbar, sdkfz 166, Trojca Sd.Kfz. 166 Sturmpanzer "Brummbar"

One thing I’ve always found interesting with figure sets is that there is no shortage of sets with German troops dressed for the winter cold, yet you never see any allied sets dressed the same way. But whether they be intended for use in the Russian winters or in the snows of the Ardennes sets like this one offer plenty of opportunity to the German themed diorama.

This comes in Tamiya’s standard open ended box and consists of two grey sprues, one medium sized one holding the weapons and equipment, another larger one having the five figures and a dog. For some reason Tamiya have reverted to moulding some figures as almost complete figures in one, so some of the detail on the figures has been overly simplified resulting in a lack of detail definition in some areas. This has resulted in some of the moulding detail seeming a bit thick and undefined, mainly the clothing which seems lacking in good fold and crease definition, and the boots are also reminicent of their older kits lacking any real left/right shape and having no instep with a defined heel. The faces however a very good with well defined features and individual expressions.

The figures are all dressed for winter with three wearing the revesible camouflaged winter parka, one wearing a greatcoat, and one wearing both, with his parka over the greatcoat. All also wear gloves and balaclavas, with two having their balaclavas moulded as part of the head and the rest moulded around the necks.

The parkas and greatcoats are well moulded, with the greatcoats moulded in halves so that you do get undercut detail which is nice though on the standing figure the rear of the greatcoat skirt is still rather thick where it joins the legs and could use some relief work.

Three of the figures have moulded recesses at the left waist for the insertion of Type 24 “stick” grenades which is a nice touch. It is intended that these are then covered with other equipment to hide the missing section of belt but it would be a simple task to add the belt section with a piece of thin paper or foil.

The officer figure holds a small opened mapcase whilst one of the other figures holds a larger folding mapboard which includes a delicate woodgrain pattern. These can be used in conjunction with the printed maps that are included.

On the not so nice side one comes with moulded on Kar 98K rifle ammo pouches and another with moulded on G43 rifle mag pouches. These pouches lack the proper shape and definition being a little thick on detail, and they also mean a little work is involved removing them if you want to add better ones or to change the weapon of choice for those figures.

As well as the five figures there is a German Shepherd dog included who comes moulded as the body with a two part head and is actually quite well done. There is also a small wood burner with a flue included, as well as a printed sheet with which to make maps, newspapers and magazines. These are all nice touches that help elevate the usefulness of this set.

The weapons and equipment sprue included is the Tamiya “German Infantry Equipment Set B” and for personal equipment it consists of three helmets with covers, two helmets without covers, five gas mask containers, five breadbags, one soft cap, one entrenching spade without its cover, two entrenching tools with bayonets attached, two entrenching tools without bayonets, five canteens, a bayonet in a scabbard, a pair of binoculars and four MP44 triple mag pouches.

It also includes a range of weapons, namely three type 24 “stick” grenades, one  holstered Luger P08, one holstered Walther P38, one mapcase, an MG34/42 maintenance kit pouch, one MG42, one folded MG42 bipod, one MG34/42 double spare barrel case, two MG34/42 ammo belts, one Panzerfaust 60, two G43 semi automatic rifles, and two MP44 assault rifles.

I’m really a little in two minds on this kit,  Tamiya just seem to missed a few basic elements here. What you get isn’t terrible, most of it is very good but just let down by a few areas and it could have been so much better.  There are some really good features and nice touches with the dog, the stove and the printed maps, and the generic weapon sprue gives you plenty of spare equipment, and a few weapons as well which is nice. Things like the shape of the boots and the lack of an instep can be easily remedied with a sharp knife, as can the moulded on ammo pouches, but it just would have been nice if those things had already been attended to. Overall though still a good set that really conveys the sense of the winter cold.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge images.

1/35 alsations, Tamiya German Soldiers at Field Briefing review

When you say “Tiger Aces” I’m sure that the first name that springs to most people’s minds ( those who have an interest in german Armour at least ) is Michael Whitmann, and whether or not it is his crew that Dragon have attempted to capture here I don’t know, as other than the fact that two wear an Iron Cross and three wear the Panzer Assault Badge there really isn’t anything that defines these as “Tiger Aces” other than the kit title.

This comes on one large, light grey sprue that holds the four and three quarter figures, as one has no legs below the knee. The Douglas Bader of Panzer Aces if you will.  It is an older set so the mouldings aren’t as sharp as more contemporary sets in some areas, mainly the creases and folds in the clothing which to me are a little understated, but to the average observer would likely never be noticed. The faces look good with nicely defined features and individual expressions, and there is nice detail in the medals and badges moulded in place as well as the belt buckles and hands being well done. The moulds are nice and clean with only the usual mould seams to clean up and assembly is quick, simple and accurate using the assembly and painting guide printed on the reverse of the box.

There really isn’t a lot to these figures, one wears the leather Panzer jacket while the others all wear the typical Panzer Jacket and trousers meaning you can do them in black, camouflage or reed green to depict both tank crews and SPG or StuG crews. Three wear the overseas cap, one a field cap and the other a soft officer’s cap. All five get holstered pistols, four Luger P08s and one Sauer 38H. One holds a set of headphones though it includes no throat mike despite being included in the artwork and assembly instruction illustrations, so you’ll need to make that bit yourself. No other equipment or weapons is included.

To be honest I’m not really sure why this is entitled as it is, they are a decent enough set of Panzer crew that could be used on any type of German armour really. They’re not the most animated of sets but for a good set of a tank crew just sitting around between battles they are more than adequate.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge images.

Dragon Tiger Aces, michael whittman